In recent years, Microsoft Teams has become a vital component in Microsoft’s productivity arsenal. It is often the go-to app for the company when it wants to add collaboration tools to Microsoft 365. However, Redmond clearly sees value in combining Teams features more deeply into Outlook. It seems Microsoft is seeking to make its simple for users across all services. If someone uses Outlook, they should have access to Teams tools with necessarily needing to go into the Teams app....

The HoloLens Agency Readiness Partner Program helps companies understand the benefits and deploy HoloLens and mixed reality. All of the partners in the program have gone through extensive hands-on training with by the Microsoft team. The six companies added to the HoloLens Agency Readiness Partner Program are: Black Marble (U.K.): Develops solutions across the Microsoft platform Fundamental VR (U.K.): Develops business solutions such as mixed reality for medical training REWIND (U....

Spend is a development coming from Microsoft Garage, the company’s skunkworks-like division. However, the app is also an expansion of the technology behind the Mile-IQ mileage-tracking app. That app was created by Mobile Data Labs, a company Microsoft acquired in 2015. While Mile-IQ tracked miles, the similar technology underpinning Spend is used to allow users to track their expenses. Tracking can be set up for personal and/or business expenses. Customers can use Spend for invoicing purposes, reimbursement, or taxes....

Microsoft clarifies that “[y]ou are able to download another browser that might be available from the Windows Store, but Microsoft Edge will remain the default”. Therefore, even if you install another browser, every time you open an .htm file or click on a link, it will open in Edge. Additionally, the company explains that “the default search provider in Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer cannot be changed.” Therefore, Windows 10 S users will be “stuck” with Bing as their default search engine....

Included in the source code for the console is the kernel for running the custom version of Windows 2000 that was included on the device. Microsoft told The Verge the leak is real, and it is currently investigating. While the release of this source code is interesting, it is unlikely to enhance current emulations of Xbox. Of course, Xbox emulators already exist by they have always failed to accurately mimic that original kernel and OS, limiting performance....

It now seems as though Microsoft has started its release of Outlook Spaces. Currently the tool is only available to select Office Insiders. Microsoft watcher Florian B took to Twitter to show that he has access to the new service. As this is happening in stages, not all Insiders will have access to Spaces. It is also unclear how long Microsoft plans to keep the new Outlook tool in preview....

In a post today, the company says the datacenter has been place off the coast of Scotland’s Orkney Islands. Microsoft’s efforts to develop underwater datacenters was launched in 2014. Last year, Project Natick was selected among the 190 finalists for the first World Changing Ideas Awards. “When you go for a moonshot, you might not ever get to the moon,” noted Microsoft AI and research corporate VP Peter Lee. “It is great if you do but, regardless, you learn a lot, and there are unexpected spinoffs along the way....

By leveraging keywords, Microsoft Search on Bing helps organizations find locations within a company. This will be important for enterprises with large campuses, such as Microsoft. For example, if someone in the Redmond headquarters searched “Windows Team” Microsoft Search on Bing would find the division. Microsoft Search lets organizations add locations and manage them: “Add a location and when your users search they’ll see the address of the building, office, or place and its location on a map....

The Wilsonville, Oregon facility is closing, but Microsoft insists that it is sticking with the Surface Hub. Indeed, rumors persist that the company is currently developing a sequel to the Hub. Instead, Microsoft says the closure and job cuts are coming as it seeks to consolidate its Surface manufacturing: “We are consolidating our Surface manufacturing. This will result in the closure of the Wilsonville, OR office and factory. We remain committed to the Surface Hub product line and will move forward with Surface Hub development in Redmond,” said a company spokesperson to ZDNet....

According to the company, the Microsoft Store for Business and Education will not be part of Windows 11. Of course, the new Windows versions includes an overhauled Microsoft Store and will launch this fall. So, where does this leave enterprise customers who want to deploy the apps or find business and education apps? Well, Microsoft says from early 2022, those customers can manage applications on devices through Microsoft Intune. Alternatively, they can use their unified endpoint management (UEM) service....

Furthermore, the company says it has editing features in development that will launch soon. To start a longer screen recording, head to Microsoft Stream on Edge or Chrome and choose “Create” and “Record Screen”. When the recording appears, users have options such as mic and audio system integration, the ability to choose what screen areas to record, and using a webcam. If you’re unfamiliar with Microsoft Stream, it’s a a video streaming service that is geared towards businesses and enterprise customers....

A recently published Microsoft Patent points to a potential successor or stablemate of the Surface Duo. However, unlike the two screens of the Duo, this new Surface Phone would have three displays. Found by Windows Latest, the patent describes a smartphone that looks like the Surface Duo but has a thin third display between the two larger displays. If the Duo looks like a book form factor, this third screen would look like the spine of that book and sit on the hinge....

There are several reasons why this is a good move and will appeal to customers. While the Surface Pen is undoubtedly a powerful peripheral and can be used for a multitude of tasks, it is not a necessary component. The Surface Pro 4 works without the pen. If a user is not a designer or has no need for the pen, it is a costly addition. Indeed, the new Surface Pro 4 version sans Surface Pen is $100 less than the same model with the pen....

For the unfamiliar, Sway is a presentation program but differs from PowerPoint in several key areas. It’s primarily a web-based tool with a focus on responsive design, collaboration, and sharing. As such it’s much more restrictive but offers great visuals very quickly. In many ways, Sway is a modern alternative to PowerPoint, and its new features are in that vein. Microsoft’s Sabrina Mohamed calls it “the biggest update in the history of Sway for iOS”....

While coronavirus deaths are around 3,000, the outbreak is already having a significant global impact. As it teeters on the edge of becoming a pandemic, institutions are closing and economies straining. One of the key mitigations to stop the spread of coronavirus is isolation. Whether this is companies closing their doors, schools shutting, or people containing themselves in their bedrooms. To keep up with productivity when isolation is happening globally, many are turning to collaboration software....

The Teams Developer Preview gives dev’s tools to easily create applications for the collaboration platform. Integrating services into Microsoft Teams has allowed the Store to be populated with a decent number of apps. To continue to drive development, the Microsoft Teams platform is scoring new developer tools. However, Bill Bliss, Platform Architect and Head of Developer Ecosystem for Teams admits the company has not always done a good job at keeping track of new features....

With that in mind, the latest major update brings features that cover both workplace collaboration and direct communication. Like we have seen with other recent update, this Microsoft Teams release is extensive. “There is a broad spectrum of needs that are required to connect employees from the worksite to the main office to the home office, across locations and time zones,” Microsoft’s Nicole Herskowitz says. “The spectrum starts with the most basic 1:1 meetings and calls with colleagues, to larger group meetings, all the way to large events and conferences … At the other end of the spectrum, Teams modernizes 1:1 calling with a cloud-based phone system in the same Teams app that keeps you in the communications flow....

In an announcement, Canonical explained the implementation of the Ubuntu Desktop image will allow a smoother experience on Windows 10. Microsoft teamed with Canonical after users’ requests pushed for a better Ubuntu experience on Linux and Windows virtual machines (VMs). It is worth pointing out that the new integration with Hyper-V is still in development. Microsoft says this is just a preview. “With the Hyper-V Quick Create feature added in the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update, we have partnered with Ubuntu and added a virtual machine image so in a few quick minutes, you’ll be up and developing,” said Clint Rutkas, a senior technical product manager on Microsoft’s Windows Developer Team....

Currently, conversational UI mimics a text conversation. It encourages users to type their query, hit send and receive a popup in the UI like a text message. Then, a digital assistant –in this case Cortana– will respond back to the user in the same way. Of course, voice input will be available just like on Google Assistant. Users can choose between their voice or typing, and the assistant understands both....

According to the Wall Street Journal, CO2 vacuum cleaners are very expensive, which is why they have not become widespread. It is also a nascent technology that takes a lot of energy and is not scalable. However, some companies are big enough to ride these issues and adopt the technology. Microsoft is among those companies and is now investing in the CO2 vacuum cleaner technology. Not much is known about the project other than Microsoft’s involvement alongside Audi....